


It's A Complicated Thing

by friendlyneighborhoodirondad



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Arguing, Child Abuse, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Relationship Mending, Swearing, but it gets worse before it gets better, but its there, dont talk to me about time lines, not a lot, theres a lot of arguing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:34:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21513874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/friendlyneighborhoodirondad/pseuds/friendlyneighborhoodirondad
Summary: Howard and Tony have had a tumultuous relationship since day one. Unfortunately, those problems eventually spill over to poor Peter Parker.
Relationships: (eventually), Howard Stark & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 7
Kudos: 139
Collections: Kudos





	It's A Complicated Thing

**Author's Note:**

> TRIGGER WARNING for child abuse. It's mild and happens quickly, but it's there.
> 
> Also, don't ask me when this takes place or why Howard's still alive. I couldn't come up with anything that made sense, so I just went for it lol.

Howard swipes through his phone, annoyed. "Tony's late again," he grumbles.

"Are you surprised, sir?" his driver, Lawrence, snidely asks.

Howard huffs a laugh, checking the time for the tenth time. "Pepper is gonna have his hide. We have to be on stage in... three minutes now."

"Well, you might just be on time, sir."

A black SUV with tinted windows pulls up. Tony's driver (...Hopper?) steps out and hurries around to open the back door. Tony is tapping away on his phone as the door opens, taking his sweet time stepping out of the car. Howard's jaw is tight when Tony finally looks up from his phone. "Greetings, daddy dearest," he drawls, pushing past towards the stage door.

"Tony. You're late."

"I'm actually just on time. Don't know what's got your goat."

"The call time was 15 minutes ago. It's common courtesy to show up early to speaking engagements."

"Yeah, well, I was busy. Now, come on, we're gonna be late."

Howard sighs and follows his son into the building. The two don't talk as they're rushed through being mic'd up. They don't even make eye contact. It isn't until they're about to walk on stage that Howard says, "I'll go on first, and you'll follow."

Tony rolls his eyes. "Fine, whatever."

Howard squares his shoulders and steps out under the lights to cheers and applause. Tony isn't far behind, but in usual Tony fashion, he's playing it up. Howard allows a smile and a wave, but Tony's blowing kisses and bowing dramatically. It's times like these that he realizes what a little prick he raised.

After their talk, they accept the audience's praise and make their way to the wings. Howard sees the stage manager, the event coordinator, and... a teenager? Tony visibly perks up and throws his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Hey, kid, what're you doing here?" he asks.

The teen beams, fidgeting under the attention. "To see you! Happy and Pepper said you wouldn't mind the surprise. You were great, by the way! That radiation therapy machine looked so cool, and the hydraulic-"

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," Tony interrupts, finally remembering Howard standing just behind him. He turns and gestures to his father. "Um, I don't think you two have met yet. Pete, this is Dad. Dad, Pete."

The boy holds out his hand. "Oh, wow, Howard Stark! It's so cool to meet you, sir!"

Howard looks him up and down before addressing Tony. "Who is this?"

"I just told you. Peter," he answers as the boy lowers his hand to his side.

"Is this a... remnant of your past?"

"No, he's an intern. My personal intern," Tony grits out, tightening his grip on the boy ever so slightly.

Howard hums before making his way to the exit. "Come along now, we'd better get a move on if we want to be on time for dinner."

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"You will show up and make nice, Anthony Edward. I won't have you mouthing off and making a fool of us again."

"Ooh, middle name. He means business," Tony mocks, arm still around his... intern.

The boy seems uncomfortable as they get to the cars. "Um, if this is a bad time, I can-"

"Nah, you're fine, kiddo. In fact, I think we'll have time to work on your project before I need to get ready."

"Tony-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there, Dad," he says, ushering the boy into the back seats before climbing in himself.

_Later that night..._

"You brought the boy?" Howard asks, not bothered that said kid is standing right in front of him.

Tony glances down at the boy's reddening face then returns Howard's glare with flashing eyes. "Pepper's sick. I thought Pete'd make a good plus one."

"Does he know how to act at a company dinner?"

" _He_ has a name and is standing right in front of you. Peter isn't animal. He'll be fine."

Howard assesses the boy's bowed head before conceding. "Fine."

"Wow, thanks for your permission that we didn't ask for. Now, come on, Pete. Let's get seated so we can get dibs on the bread."

Tony leads the boy into the private dining room, leaving Howard to follow behind. He watches the pair find their designated seats and silently converse with one another. Howard makes his way around the room, networking with the guests as they arrive. Half an hour later, everyone is seated, prompting Howard to stand from his seat at the head of the table and raise his glass in a toast to quiet the table. "I'd like to start this company dinner with a toast. I'll keep it short and sweet." There are scattered chuckles around the table. "Thank you all for everything you've done. Stark Industries would not be where it is today without all of your hard work. Cheers."

"Cheers," says the rest of the table. They all raise their glasses and take a sip.

As they all go to put their glasses down, there's an exclamation to his right. Howard catches a board member's red wine being spilled down the front of his white dress shirt. Tony's little intern gasps and grabs his napkin to dab against the mess. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, sir!"

"Look what you've done, you little twerp!" the man growls, swiping the cloth from the boy.

"I, uh, can fix it, sir. I can run to get-"

"Can afford a Burberry silk shirt?"

"...No."

"Then there's nothing you can do, boy."

Howard clears his throat, pulling everyone's eyes off the spectacle. "Mr. Smith, I apologize for Tony's intern. He's just excited, he's never been anywhere like _this_ before."

Mr. Smith huffs but allows conversation to start up along the long table. Nobody gets too far, however. "Excuse me?"

Sighing heavily in a way that can only be elicited by his son, Howard turns back once more. "If you have something to say, save it for later, Tony," he says through a forced smile.

"No, no, no, I'd like to address the 'never been anywhere like _this_ ' before you can just brush it off later. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"You know damn well what I mean. He made a mistake. You don't have to make your little elitist comments about him like that."

"I wasn't making-"

"You did when you emphasized _this_ like that."

"That's enough, Tony."

"He's a kid, Dad. Kid's make mistakes. In fact, any adult could have made the same one."

"Anthony-"

"It's a glass of wine, You didn't have to put him down in front of everyone for it."

" _Tony!_ "

The silence that follows is so loud, it rings. Even Tony's mouth shuts.

"I said that's enough," Howard says, finality in his tone. "We'll talk about this later."

If Tony's intern's face gets any redder, he might burst a blood vessel. Tony himself is grinding his teeth. "Fine. We'll talk about this _later_. We're leaving. Come on, Pete."

The boy looks torn but follows Tony's lead, definitely not as dramatic and definitely more apologetic.

The room stays quiet after the door slams shut. Everyone turns to look at Howard. After taking a moment to assess his next move, Howard clears his throat, refusing to fiddle with his suddenly uncomfortable tie. He doesn't want his guests knowing how rattled he is. "I apologize for the disruption. I hope we can all put my son's outburst behind us so we can enjoy our meal." As everyone slowly move back into murmured conversation. Howard leans over and says, "I'll buy you a new shirt for the trouble, Smith."

_Later..._

"Drop me off at Stark Tower," Howard says as he slides into the car.

"Did everything go alright at dinner, sir?" Lawrence asks.

"You could say so."

The rest of the ride is quiet. Lawrence has been with Howard long enough to know when he wants silence. The anger grows every step from the car to the elevator. "Good evening, Mr. Stark," Tony's AI greets. "What can I do for you today?"

"Take me up to the penthouse."

"Boss has asked for privacy tonight. Perhaps I could persuade you to come back tomorrow?"

"No, tell Tony to quit playing games and let me up."

"One moment please." Ten seconds later, she speaks up again. "Boss has granted you access to the penthouse."

Howard rolls his eyes as the elevator begins its assent. He levels his glare at the first thing he sees as the doors slide open, and the first thing he sees is surprisingly the boy. They stand opposite each other until Tony bustles into the room. "Pete, what I did ask you to do?"

"You don't have to fight my battles for me. I'm not afraid-"

"I know you're not, but I'd prefer to ream out my father where young impressionable minds aren't around to listen."

"But Mr. Stark-"

"Ah, ah. I have spoken."

"Ugh, I'm never watching _The Mandalorian_ with you again."

"Mm hm. Your little guilt trip isn't gonna work on me. Off with you now."

The boy groans and trudges off down the hallway towards the bedrooms. _Hm, curious._ Tony finally turns to Howard and gives him a look. "All right, let's get this over with." The Stark men make their way to the dining room and take their seats across from each other. "So, why'd you make your way over to this end of town?"

"Who is that boy to you really?"

"Uh, what?" Tony says, unable to hide his surprise. "I told you he's my intern."

"Why'd you get all upset at dinner then?"

"It was the principle of the matter. You were being an asshole, I was protecting you from a lawsuit from his aunt."

"You know his aunt?"

"Dad, what do you want? You're not gonna fix this, I don't know why you're here."

"You displayed concerning behavior in front of all the heads of the company. I'm trying to get to the root of it."

"You. Were. An. Asshole. That's all it was."

"Did it take you back to your own childhood? You were never shy about telling me what an asshole I was when you were a kid. Maybe that triggered something deep in your psyche."

"No, you were being an asshole."

"Maybe you just wanted to throw a childish tantrum like the man-child you are."

"Oh, please. Like you've got any room to talk."

"And here comes the deflection."

"You know what? Fine. Yes, what you said reminded me of my own childhood. You wanna know why? You were constantly putting me down in front of everyone."

"I did no such thing."

"Yes, you did! You corrected everything I did. Nothing was good enough for you."

"Don't make it sound like a bad thing. I was helping you get better."

"Yeah, well, all you ended up doing was giving me a complex."

Howard rolls his eyes. "And now that you have that boy who reminds you so much of yourself, you don't want me touching him. You're afraid of me _ruining_ your precious intern."

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm afraid of. So if you could stay away forever, that'd be great."

Rage finally boiling over, Howard suddenly stands from his seat and straightens his jacket. "Fine. That's it. You're never going to see me again." Tony glares back but looks... hesitantly surprised. "I won't involve myself in your affairs. I'll let you run yourself into the ground like you've always wanted."

Tony opens his mouth but nothing comes out.

"Nothing to say now, huh? I've finally rendered you speechless. Why aren't you happy? Isn't this what you've always wanted?"

"Um... yeah. So what are you still doing here?" Tony says, finally recovering. "Goodbye."

"Mm-hm. Goodbye."

Howard promptly turns on his heel and marches to the elevator. "To the lobby, I presume?" Friday asks as the doors slide closed.

_A week later..._

Howard sits in his office, looking over the end of the quarter's report. "Mr. Stark, you have a... young visitor," his secretary says via the intercom. Unlike Tony, Howard doesn't have machines do his bidding.

"Send them away, I'm busy."

"He's very insistent, sir."

Howard sighs, putting his work to the side. "Fine. Let him in."

The door opens, and surprise, surprise... in walks Tony's intern.

Acting like he's not shaken by the development, Howard says, "Well, if isn't Tony's mini-me."

The kid doesn't smile. "We need to talk."

"What about?"

"What did you say to Mr. Stark?"

"When? I've known him his whole life, you'll have to be specific."

"You know what I'm talking about," he says, refusing to back down. Then again, he's used to hanging around Tony, so he's probably used to the snark.

Howard decides to throw him a bone. "Alright, alright. Tony and I have made the decision to never talk to each other again. That all you needed?"

"That's not the whole story. I know you said something else before you got to that part. Mr. Stark has been... off all week."

"I'm sure you're familiar with Tony's eccentricities at this point. However he's been acting, it's no longer something that concerns me as I stated earlier. Now, please leave me to my work."

"No."

Howard slowly turns back. "Excuse me?"

"No, I'm not leaving. If you won't tell me what you said, I still want an apology."

"I said nothing I had to apologize for, boy, so you're leaving empty handed either way."

"No, you're giving me what I want," the boy says, taking a very non-threatening step forward.

Fed up with the conversation, Howard leans his elbows on the desk and gestures the boy forward. "Okay, come here. I'm only gonna say this once." The boy looks triumphant as walks up to the desk. "Lean in a little." He obeys, but jerks back when Howard slaps him across the face. "Don't talk to your superiors like that. You've been asking for it since you spilled that board member's wine. Now, run home. We're done here."

The boy holds his cheek, eyes watery as he turns tail and exits in silence. Howard huffs and picks up his pen again. _Of course Tony would pick the insolent one. He just has to make everything so goddamn difficult._

_Many years later..._

Howard didn't expect Tony to be able to make good on their deal they made all those years ago, but they haven't talked since their final argument. But now, the reins of the company he founded are being handed over to the little intern that could. Howard retired a while ago, so he wouldn't have been aware of the internal company event without a personal invitation from Peter Parker himself.

Howard pulls up to Stark Tower and hands his keys to the valet. He follows the AI's directions to the recently renovated ballroom. Immediately, he sees Tony from across the room. He looks... immensely proud. His chest is puffed out, and a permanent smile is fixed on his face. Peter Parker stands next to his mentor, excitedly talking with his hands. The group all laugh along with Parker's story. Tony laughs as well, throwing an arm around his protege's shoulders. With that movement, Tony's eyes meet Howard's, and his smile immediately drops. Howard watches his son make a quick excuse to escape, then make his way across the room. A waiter with a tray of champagne flutes walks by, so Howard snags one before Tony grabs his shoulder and pulls him out of the room. Howard downs the champagne before Tony can formulate what he wants to say.

"...Why are you here?" Tony finally ends up saying. "How did you know this was happening? You weren't invited!"

"I was, actually," Howard says.

"By _who?_ "

"Peter Parker."

"Stop lying. Who was it really?"

"No really, it was Parker."

"Dad..."

"Is it so hard to see your boy wanting me here? I started the company he's taking control of."

"But... I told him to stay away from you. I told him you're the worst ever, and all you'd ever do is criticize everything he does."

"Like I supposedly did with you?"

"Exactly. I want you to leave."

"You don't have that kind of power anymore. Your boy's running the show now, and he wants me here."

"Dad. Peter is a good person. You are a _bad_ person. You'll ruin him. _Stay away from Peter._ " Tony turns and yanks the door open, bumping into the person of the hour. "Oh, hey, buddy."

"Tony? What are you doing out here? You just disappeared, and- oh," Parker says, finally seeing the older Stark. "This is awkward."

"Yes, Peter. It is awkward. He should not be here," Tony says, annoyed. "Why did you invite him?"

"I... just wanted to start to... fix the Stark family relations."

"You're not in the Stark family," Howard states, ignoring the glare Tony levels him.

"Well, no, but... I'm in the Stark Industries family, so that's gotta count for something, right?"

"Pete, you know you're in my family, so cut that out," Tony says.

"But anyway," Parker continues, opening the ballroom door again, "let's just be cordial and be happy today. We can talk about this tonight in private. Okay?"

Parker nervously walks back inside, the two Starks reluctantly following. Howard immediately splits away as Tony puts a protective arm around Parker. Howard doesn't talk with them until after the event. He stays on the edge of the ballroom, talking with people he hasn't seen in years. He's surprised at how happy everyone is with Parker's promotion. Apparently, he tries to get to know everyone in the company and really listens to people's opinions. Soon enough, Tony's on stage and introducing Parker. He gets a little teary eyed, but nobody gets uncomfortable. The crowd actually _awws_ at it. Parker is up next and actually gives an above average speech. All in all, it's a surprisingly good night.

But then comes the confrontation.

Tony, Pepper, and the new CEO of Stark Industries stand by the doors as the guests leave, shaking each of their hands. When it's just the four of them left, Parker leads them from the ballroom to Tony's personal elevator. The ride up to the penthouse is silent. When the doors slide open, little miss Morgan Stark rushes Parker. "You're home! Are you CEO yet?" she asks, throwing her arms around Parker's middle.

"Yeah, Momo. I'm the king of the castle now."

"But Dad said I'm in charge!" she whines as Parker drops her back on the couch.

"Too bad, so sad. Dad loves me more."

"Dad?" Howard can't help but say out loud.

They all turn to look at him, almost like they forgot he was there. Pepper steps forward and says, "Morgie, let's leave the boys to talk. We'll go watch a movie or something while they work themselves out."

"Okay," Morgan says, confused but compliant.

Once Tony's wife and daughter are gone, Parker gestures to the dining room table where the initial breakup happened, ironically. "Okay, so... where to start..." Parker sighs.

"Let's start with, oh, why you invited my father, whom you know I'm estranged from, to your coronation?" Tony says sarcastically. It's the first even mildly negative thing he's said to Parker all night.

"I just... wanted you guys to talk it out."

"Talk it out?! Pete, when have I ever-"

"Tony, please!" Parker speaks over his mentor. It shuts him up quickly. "You've been weird about all _this_ since the restaurant incident all those years ago."

"He was being super offensive toward you, and you know how I feel about people who are mean to you."

"Mr. Parker, if I may," Howard interjects. "Thank you for the invitation and congratulations on your promotion, but I'm still confused on how you were planning on getting us to resolve decades of resentment and anger in one night."

"I don't know... I must have been feeling really optimistic the night I sent that. Or really drunk..." he trails off, then shakes his head. "Anyway, it would mean the world to me if you two could at least try to... talk to each other?"

"Pete, this is probably the only time I'm ever gonna say this, but you're wrong," Tony says. "I'm not gonna talk to him, he's not gonna talk to me, and even if we did talk, we wouldn't. Okay, kiddo? It's nothing personal."

"Tony-"

"Yes, Mr. Parker, I'm afraid our relationship is just too far gone to fix with words."

"Mr. Stark-"

"Okay, well, if we're done here..." Tony says, trying to stand from the table inconspicuously.

"Guys!" Parker exclaims, trying to get control of the conversation again. "Can we please just act like adults and work this out?! This is insanity!"

"No, it's not!" Howard shouts, shoving his chair back to stand. "You know what the definition of insanity is? Doing the same thing over and over again, thinking things will change. Do you not remember what happened the last time you came to me asking for an apology?"

"...What happened the last time he came asking for an apology?" Tony asks after a few moments of silence from Parker. He gives Howard a dangerous warning look.

Howard laughs and shakes his head. "He didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Itty bitty Parker here came to me a few days after we had our little spat." Howard begins to pace the length of the table. "He came to me asking what I said to you. He burst into my office, furious, certain that I'd done something to wrong his _Mr. Stark_."

"Sir, I don't think you need to-"

"No, no, Tony asked for the story. Parker was acting all tough and threatening, looking about as scary as a puppy. I told him what he wanted to know, but he wouldn't leave. He then asked for an apology. Now, since I didn't do anything wrong, I had no reason to apologize. So I didn't. And after asking him to leave several times, I told him in a way he'd understand. I gave him a quick smack."

Tony shoves his chair back and holds his arm out. Parker quickly follows and pushes Tony's arm down. Howard idly realizes he was calling an Iron Man suit. "No, no, no! Don't, it's not a big deal!"

"Not a big deal?! He hit you! He _hit_ you! I'm gonna kill him!"

"I barely felt it! It's not a big deal."

"He dared to lay a hand on you! You know how I feel about that! I'm gonna kill him, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"He won't do anything," Howard says, rolling his eyes. "He's been threatening to kill me since he was 12 years old."

"Well, this time I mean it. I can't believe you. You hit my boy." Tony's voice breaks on "boy". He jams his finger into Howard's sternum. "You had _no_ right to hit him. Technically, you had no right to hit me either, but... you hit Pete. My _son_. If you ever, _ever_ , come within a block of Peter or Morgan or Pepper... I will kill you. This is your final warning."

"Okay, Tony. I'll take that offer. I won't bother you or your _family_ ever again. But I'll leave you with one more piece of wisdom: you're too soft on your precious Peter. He's going to end up like you, and he's going to fail."

"No, he's not," Tony says, herding Howard toward the elevator. "He's better than us, Dad. He's gonna do great things. But you'll have to watch from afar. Goodbye."

And as much as Howard hates to admit it, Tony was right. He keeps waiting for Parker to mess up as the years go on, but he doesn't. He continues to prove himself time and time again. He'll never tell anyone, but Parker... Peter eventually becomes a source of pride. He even gets to tell Peter himself before he dies.

Howard's body eventually gives out on him, but he has time to call his family and try to make his peace. He's surprised to see them all actually show up. Especially Tony.

"You did good, son," he whispers to Tony, feebly squeezing his hand. "You accomplished so much. You created a viable source for clean energy, you finished what I couldn't, and... you're a fucking superhero."

Tony huffs out a small, teary laugh. It's just the two of them at this point. Howard can feel the end coming.

"And you're married to a beautiful, successful woman. You have two beautiful, amazing children with whom you have strong, loving relationships. You have everything."

"I know, Dad."

"I just... I'm sorry. For the way I treated you, for letting my pride get in the way."

"It's okay. I forgave you a long time ago."

"And I'm sorry for what I did to Peter."

"Now, that's an apology I will take. That still makes me angry."

Howard chuckles, then coughs. "Still the same Tony. I'm... proud of you."

"...Thanks."


End file.
